Car Wash Wastewater Regulations

Operating a car washing facility comes with a lot of responsibilities. One of the largest processes to nail down is how you drain the water waste from each wash.

Every state has its own version of water drainage regulations that car washes must follow. In Virginia and most other states, a permit is required for car wash and detailing businesses to dispose of their wastewater.

Since the main service of a car wash uses water to clean the dirt and grime off vehicles, it is necessary to understand why these regulations exist and how to uphold them.

Why Are There Regulations

No matter what type of car wash you operate – a conveyor car wash system or a self-service – it’s important to properly manage the disposal of your wastewater. Wastewater from cleaning cars can have a huge negative impact on the environment from the contaminants that get washed away with the water.

Oil and grease contain a lot of harmful materials that are toxic to the environment. Benzene, lead, zinc, metals and more are all used in oil for your vehicle. When these particles get washed away, it can be extremely hazardous if they aren’t dealt with properly.

On top of that, the chlorine, detergents and soaps used to clean vehicles are not good for the environment. The chemicals and solvent-based solutions can harm living things if the runoff enters a regular drainage system and pollutes clean water.

Clean Water Act

The Clean Water Act of 1972 (CWA) was set up by the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) as a way to regulate the disposal of pollutants into clean water in the United States. It has set up a standard for all commercial businesses to follow in regard to disposing wastewater.

Under the CWA, it is illegal to dispose of pollutants into water without a permit. Pollutants include:

• Conventional (oil and grease)
• Unconventional (chlorine, ammonia, phosphorus, and more)
• Toxic (metals and man-made compounds)

This pretty much covers everything that a car wash deals with and will find in their wastewater.

Wastewater Regulations

For most states and counties, there are storm drain regulations that prevent car washing establishments from letting their untouched runoff flow into a storm drain that goes to fresh water sources. Your facility can be hit with fines if they do not follow this regulation.

The CWA requires all professional car washing and detailing facilities to send the wastewater to a water treatment facility, state-approved water drainage facility or filter it before letting it run off into a sanitary sewer.

Options for Disposing Wastewater

There are many ways for your car washing and detailing establishment to manage your wastewater that are in line with regulations.

• Filtration
• Evaporation
• Use a water recycling system
• Send it to a water treatment facility
• Send it to a septic system
• Send it through a sanitary sewer system that flows to a facility and not a clean water source

The Transportation Environmental Resource Center is funded by the EPA and goes over a lot of car wash water disposal regulations in detail here.

Filtration

One way to manage wastewater is through filtration. By filtering out the contaminants from the water, it can flow through a storm drain and into a sanitary sewer system. What’s left is a thick sludge of waste that must be disposed of on its own.

Professional Pit Cleaning

If your car wash facility handles its wastewater management on-site, then it’s up to you to handle the contaminants properly. For those who use filtration, there is still the leftover sludge to dispose of and equipment to clean. Septic tanks, grease traps and oil water separators are a great way to filter the water and keep up with wastewater regulations.

With a business to run, cleaning out these filtration systems is another thing to add to your priority list. Pit Crew is nationally known for their professional car wash pit cleaning and waste removal services. Their cleaning process is environmentally safe and will leave your car wash equipment spotless.

Contact Pit Crew and let them do the dirty work for you so you can keep up with wastewater regulations.